Petrina Bromley Performed a Newfoundland Song About a Goat in Her Come From Away Audition

Petrina Bromley hails from a town in Newfoundland in Canada, which is just a three-hour drive away from Gander, another town in the same Province. Now, Bromley is almost three years into her Broadway debut in Come From Away which lets her revist her hometown eight times a week since it serves as the show's setting. "There aren't words to express how incredible it is to be an ambassador for your home," Bromley told Paul Wontorek in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveatFive. "It's such a gift. People are coming from Newfoundland to see this show and people who have seen the show are now going to Newfoundland. It's just amazing. I love it."

Bromley's involvement in Come From Away all started with a chance meeting with the show's writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein. "I have one of those hilarious 'girl in the candy store at the right moment' stories," she said. "I was in Gander and walked into the one coffee store that isn't Tim Hortons and the guy who was with me knew Irene and David, who were also there. We went over to talk to them, and they said they were writing a musical about 9/11 and I was like, 'Oh no, no, no. Don't do that.' But, of course, they've done a wonderful job painting true-to-life pictures. They weren't interested in stereotypes. We stayed in touch, and I got invited to audition for the professional show."

That invitation led to Bromley having a truly one-of-a-kind audition that she still can't believe happened. "I really thought my trip to New York to audition would just be a story for me to say when I'm an old lady rocking on the porch," she said. "I had no expectation. At the casting office, I heard people belting 'Let It Go' and thought I was in over my head. So, I decided to sing a comical song from Newfoundland about a goat. They let me sing all the verses, and now here I am."

Playing the same character for years means that Bromley has found many similarities between herself and Bonnie, but most of them were already there. "This is the most typecast I'll ever be in my life," she said, "An animal lover from Newfoundland. That's me! I have two dogs that are my children, Sasha Fierce and Princess Leia Organa. It's really crazy to think about. I was living in Newfoundland and working in Canada and now, somehow, I live in Queens and work in Times Square on Broadway."

See Bromley in Come From Away, playing at the Schoenfeld Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveatFive below!